Isn't it funny that the same country is both promoting vegetarianism and the death penalty - and features the biggest military force in the world? Just to say.
How to lower the price of plant-based meat
311–320 of 679 posts
Re: How to lower the price of plant-based meat
#312Earlier quoted context omitted.
So if I say 'We should all eat less meat' you immediately understand this to also include eating less plant patties? Or could this possibly be the wrong definition?
Who would you call if your house would have a mouse problem? Exterminator or IT support? I guess things can have multiple definitions and we can use context to distinguish between them?
Any disambiguation is still not covered by your stated definition, that definition is simply wrong.
Re: How to lower the price of plant-based meat
#313It's interesting to note the names of the companies in the article: >> In China, Beyond Meat signed five major new partnerships, with Starbucks, retailers Alibaba and Metro, distributor Sinodis, and Yum China (owner of KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell). >> In the rest of Asia, Thailand’s largest meat company, CP Foods (...) >> In Latin America, Brazilian agribusiness giant Marfrig (...) >> In Europe, the UK’s largest re…
If you're trying to bring a new product to market don't you want to rely on the infrastructure that already exists? What's the alternative if you want to make an impact quickly? Sure, KFC, PizzaHut, etc. have contributed significantly to increases in meat consumption, but isn't that exactly the place to start? Just like BP, Shell, etc. are diversifying away from fossil fuels, the companies you mentioned likely see th…
Is the problem meat diets? Or capitalism and the food industry? Locavorism seems to be a much better idea than vegetarianism - in terms of human ethics and of benefits for the planet at least.
Re: How to lower the price of plant-based meat
#314A tangential topic - I really think that in general calling plant-based things "meat", a terrible idea. It does not promote plant-base diet or meat consumption reduction. It is trying to be what is not. I think it pushes away those who are on the cusp of moving towards plant-base foods. Why? Because the consumer is told it is "meat", so they will compare it to meat. They will compare these patties to a real, prime An…
We have vegetables.
Why would someone choose to eat some mix of pea protein and coconut oil if not to replace meat or make a political statement?
Re: How to lower the price of plant-based meat
#315Earlier quoted context omitted.
> People eat meat because they like the taste and the texture, but at the same time everyone knows that meat is produced by killing animals, and that it's much less sustainable than vegetarian food. I think this is too generous. Maybe I'm reading it wrong, but the implicit message here is that people actually care about the animals and sustainability of meat farming. My spouse is vegetarian and I'm whatever. I don't…
> I have had the conversation of the horrors of meat production many times at the dinner table with a spectrum of people, and nobody changed their habits. This doesn't mean that people don't care about the horrors of the animal industry. It just means that they don't care enough to change their habits. Huge difference. Which is why meat alternatives are so important, because they allow people to stop eating meat with…
Your "they care but don't care enough to change habits" take is highly entlightening. This is going to help my perspective on a range of issues where binary thinking invites itselve. Thanks!
Re: How to lower the price of plant-based meat
#316Earlier quoted context omitted.
> I think it pushes away those who are on the cusp of moving towards plant-base foods. I think you are completely wrong. People eat meat because they like the taste and the texture, but at the same time everyone knows that meat is produced by killing animals, and that it's much less sustainable than vegetarian food. If you want to get people to switch to meat alternatives, you have to keep everything that's great abo…
> People eat meat because they like the taste and the texture, but at the same time everyone knows that meat is produced by killing animals, and that it's much less sustainable than vegetarian food. I think this is too generous. Maybe I'm reading it wrong, but the implicit message here is that people actually care about the animals and sustainability of meat farming. My spouse is vegetarian and I'm whatever. I don't…
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Re: How to lower the price of plant-based meat
#317Earlier quoted context omitted.
Just eat broccoli instead? I don't get other foods. Make a small amount of other things sustainable and respectful, then make the rest of your diet broccoli. Done. Almost the entire point of cultivating different foods is to enjoy different flavors and textures. If something is tasty but expensive, in terms of money or the environment, we should encourage the people that try to make it cheaper. There's no reason to w…
I think the point is that we have tried making meat cheap and it created a lot of problems. Until we fix those problems the grandparent comments strategy seems sound.
Well I'm talking about both money and environmental costs, and we haven't done very much toward reducing the latter. I'd rather put a bunch of effort into reducing environmental impact than "just" eat traditional vegetables.
When you say "until we fix those problems" you're suggesting a very different strategy from "just" working around it with no notable effort to do anything else.
Re: How to lower the price of plant-based meat
#318Earlier quoted context omitted.
> People eat meat because they like the taste and the texture, but at the same time everyone knows that meat is produced by killing animals, and that it's much less sustainable than vegetarian food. I think this is too generous. Maybe I'm reading it wrong, but the implicit message here is that people actually care about the animals and sustainability of meat farming. My spouse is vegetarian and I'm whatever. I don't…
As an avid meat-eater (because nature almost by definition is living things eating other living things and humans evolved to be omnivorous for various nutritional reasons), my answer to the animal cruelty argument is just to buy the top-shelf, pasture-raised meats. It's better for my health and much better for the animals. Obviously I have no control over where restaurants source their food from, but I try to prefere…
> because nature almost by definition is living things eating other living things and humans evolved to be omnivorous for various nutritional reasons
This is such a non-argument, and I'm saying this as a(n occasional) meat-eater.
> nature almost by definition is living things eating other living things
The default state for most living beings is scarcity. I think we all intuitively judge the morality of people's actions depending on scarcity. If two people were on an uninhabited island with no chance to escape, and the island only produces enough food to sustain one person, then I don't think it's immoral for them to fight to the death over the scarce resources, neither of them has the duty to sacrifice their life for the other. But if the island produces enough for two people, then killing the other so you can have more food is clearly murder.
Humans evolved the ability to eat meat because it increased their chances of survival in a hostile environment with scarce resources. In this dog eat dog world, I don't think eating meat was immoral. But the scarcity that justified it has disappeared for many (but sadly not nearly all) of us.
> humans evolved to be omnivorous for various nutritional reasons
There is no evidence that vegetarian diets are less healthy than those that incorporate meat. Again, eating meat no doubt increased the chances of survival for ancient hunter-gatherers living in harsh conditions, but that's no longer our environment, so it is irrelevant.
To be clear, I'm not offended by the fact that you eat meat; I am irritated by the weak justification though, which is worse than no justification at all. Just have the honesty to admit that you are merely putting your comfort above the well-being of the animals you eat. Comfort is the only reason why healthy people eat meat.
Re: How to lower the price of plant-based meat
#319A tangential topic - I really think that in general calling plant-based things "meat", a terrible idea. It does not promote plant-base diet or meat consumption reduction. It is trying to be what is not. I think it pushes away those who are on the cusp of moving towards plant-base foods. Why? Because the consumer is told it is "meat", so they will compare it to meat. They will compare these patties to a real, prime An…
I say we start calling it phyte, since it sounds a bit better than pleat. Translates better too. Could even pronounce it like it rhymes with “meat”.
Re: How to lower the price of plant-based meat
#320I know it's maybe not a very sophisticated position to take in the current year, but I will not eat the fake meat, I will not eat the bugs, I will not live in a pod, I will not own nothing.
Why not if it tasted just like the original, had many more essential micronutrients, and had less carcinogens than original meat?
I don't get excited about meat for the environmental impact, but rather for the health improvements.